A monument to residential school survivors will be on display at the University of Regina’s RIC Atrium until Feb. 27. The Witness Blanket, created by BC Kwagiulth†artist Carey Newman, whose father is residential school survivor, is a wood-based art installation incorporating more than 800 items connected to residential school experiences across Canada. “The Witness Blanket serves as a living…

Wayne Whitehead, from the Pelican Lake First Nation, has been fined for illegal outfitting in the province and unlawful possession of wildlife. A complaint was first made against Whitehead in November 2012. An investigation by conservation officers found Whitehead was unlawfully outfitting by providing a hunt outside his authorized area on First Nation land. A second complaint in February 2013…

A house fire near Prince Albert on New Year’s Day claimed the home of Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations senate member Sol Sanderson and his wife. It is believed that a problem with the chimney led to the fire. Grandson Dane Robins set up an online fundraiser for his grandparents as they had no insurance as they were waiting to finalize the sale of their Prince Albert home. Sanderson,…

A judge has ruled that the Pasqua First Nation has the right to bring an action before the Federal Court of Canada against both Saskatchewan and Canada for failure to implement their Treaty Land Entitlement obligations. In July 2014, the First Nation filed a Statement of Claim before the Federal Court alleging that Canada and Saskatchewan had failed to properly implement their TLE Settlement…

Upon the election of Perry Bellegarde as national chief for the Assembly of First Nations, First Vice Chief Kim Jonathan took over as Grand Chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations in accordance to the organization’s charter. It is the first time a woman has held this position. “I commend and salute her and acknowledge her,” said Bellegarde. “She’s strong with a team approach.”…

An RCMP member stationed in Fond du Lac as a general duty constable has been charged with accessing child pornography and possession of child pornography. Aiden Arthur Pratchett was arrested by the Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit on Dec. 22, 2014, and charged. The investigation began in October, when numerous computer devices were seized from his home. Pratchett was removed from…

The Metis Nation-Saskatchewan abided by a judge’s order to meet before the end of January, but couldn’t fulfill directions that a date be set for the next legislative assembly. The MNS met Jan.16 and Jan. 17, the first time in almost two years, but factional fighting continued and no consensus was reached as to when and where to hold the next legislative assembly. If the MNLA doesn’t meet by…

Douglas Hales is appealing his second-degree murder conviction in the violent death of Darlene Bosse. The verdict came down in December 2014 after years of trial delays due to legal representation issues. Bosse disappeared in May 2004. Her body was found in a wooded area outside of Saskatoon in August 2008 after Hales confessed to undercover officers during the sting operation that he killed…

Kitsaki Development Corporation has acquired 25 per cent equity in the Saskatoon-based March Consulting Associates Inc., which will allow Kitsaki to access professional project engineering and management services in turn providing March with access to First Nations resources and services. “This partnership offers Kitsaki the opportunity to deliver more services to our clients and to tap into…

Yellow Quill First Nation plans to construct its first urban reserve project in Saskatoon in what is now a parking lot. The $40 million commercial and office building will have the First Nations Bank as its lead tenant. The building is to be constructed to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental) Gold Certification standards. It has been a four-year process but Yellow Quill has secured…

Whitecap Dakota First Nation and Saskatoon Public Schools have signed an education agreement that sees Whitecap Dakota Elementary School become an alliance school, making it the first on-reserve school to be a part of a Saskatchewan school division. The four-year agreement has federal funding for the education of Whitecap students flow to Saskatoon Public Schools. All Whitecap Dakota…

A hand-drawn map submitted anonymously and labelled “Location of Tamra Keepness, Check the Wells” was posted on the Reddit website. The investigation that ensued resulted in “nothing suspicious,” said Regina Police spokesperson Elizabeth Popowich. She said that investigators did not find the crudely drawn map, which appeared to show part of the Muscowpetung First Nation, to be authentic. The…

Métis veteran Alex Maurice, from Beauval, read the “Act of Remembrance” in Michif at the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa. It marked the first time the poem has been read at the national ceremony in an Aboriginal language. Maurice read the poem with Korean War veterans and Aboriginal veterans. The “Act of Remembrance,” an extract from the poem For the Fallen by Laurence…

Dr. Carrie Bourassa, professor of Indigenous Health Studies, at the First Nations University of Canada, has been named a member of the inaugural cohort of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. She joins 90 other colleagues from 51 Canadian universities and the National Research Council to represent Canada’s emerging generation of scholarly, scientific…

The “Spirit of Alliance,” a monument marking the War of 1812, was commissioned by the Whitecap Dakota First Nation. It was unveiled in Saskatoon on Sept. 19 by Prince Edward,†Earl of†Wessex.† Commemorating the relationship between First Nations and the Crown at the time of the War of 1812, the monument highlights the history of the Dakota-Crown alliance. “We must remember our original veteran…